Zebre was originally founded in 1973 as an invitational club for North West Italy and when re-created by the FIR to replace Aironi it was confirmed they would play in Parma at the Stadio XXV Aprile, now the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi.
The FIR appointed Roberto Manghi to be the club's first Director of Rugby in the Guinness PRO12 and former Benetton Treviso coach Christian Gajan took on the Technical Director role.
Head coach: Gianluca Guidi
Guidi played rugby at Livorno, on the west coast of Italy, between 1986 and 2001 and earned five caps at scrum half for his country between 1996 and 1997.
He returned to his home club of L'Aquila in 1997/98 in a player-coach role.
He coached many of the Italian age-group sides before taking over the reins of the national A side from 2008 to 2012.
In 2013 he returned to club management and began work at Calvisano where he won two consecutive National Championship of Excellence (Italian domestic league) titles before joining Zebre in August 2015.
Since taking over he's led the club to home wins over Edinburgh and Cardiff Blues as well as back-to-back victories over Italian rivals Benetton Treviso.
In Europe, he led the club to two victories over Worcester Warriors and La Rochelle.
They have matched Newport Gwent Dragons' four wins so far this season, one more than Treviso have managed, and face the Dragons on May 7.
Greatest Season - 2013/14
Roberto Manghi's men bounced back well from a disappointing winless first season to grab five wins and two draws in their second year in the Guinness PRO12.
The Italians claimed their first ever win in the competition with a 30-25 victory over Cardiff Blues in the Welsh capital.
Mauro Bergamasco and David Odiete both crossed for the Italians but the boot of Leigh Halfenny had kept the Welsh side in the game before Brendon Leonard sealed a famous win with a late try.
The Italians continued to cause problems for the league's bigger squads and only a late Rhys Priestland penalty, to snatch a draw, denied them a second victory of the campaign against the Scarlets in October.
Zebre ran Edinburgh, Ospreys and Ulster close over the next few weeks before a 14-12 win over Italian rivals Benetton Treviso in January.
The Italians completed the double over Cardiff Blues in March with a 15-10 win in Parma, former All Black scrum-half Leonard again got on the scoresheet as did wing Guilio Toniolatti.
Another draw, this time against the Dragons, was followed up with impressive home wins over Edinburgh and the Ospreys.
Against Edinburgh; tries from Giovanbattista Venditti, Filippo Cristiano and Dion Berryman gave the home side a comfortable 26-13 win while things were a little tighter against the Ospreys.
A last-minute try from replacement Guglielmo Palazzani ensured a narrow 30-27 win over the Welsh side after earlier tries from Leonard and Vendetti.
Zebre have been unable to match the 29 points they collected in the 2013/14 Guinness PRO12 season since.
Zebre all-time XV
15. Daniel Halangahu
Utility back Halangahu slots into full-back in his XV after scoring two tries and kicking a lot of points for the Italians during his single season at Zebre. He signed from the Waratahs in 2012-13.
14. Giovanbattista Venditti
Venditti scored vital tries in Zebre's most successful season to earn himself a starting spot on the wing. He's the joint-second Guinness PRO12 try scorer for the club with seven and has six international tries from 33 appearances.
13. Kelly Haimona
Haimona can slot in across the backline and has come up with some vital points for Zebre over the years, including a penalty, conversion and drop goal in a 13-6 win over Ulster in 2014.
12. Gonzalo Garcia
With 44 international caps, Garcia has been a vital cog in the Zebre backline since making his debut in the 2012-13 season. Since then he's scored tries consistently and can step up to the kicking tee when required.
11. Mirco Bergamasco
Bergamasco made just the 20 appearances for Zebre towards the end of his career but as an Italian legend with 89 international caps and 17 tries, he can't be excluded from this XV.
10. Luciano Orquera
Zebre's leading point scorer in Guinness PRO12 rugby with 190 points during three seasons with the Italian club. He also made 48 appearances for his country, scoring over 150 points in the process.
9. Brendon Leonard
The All Black scrum half has 13 caps for his country and was pivotal in Zebre's wins over Cardiff and Ospreys in the 2013-14 season. He scored six tries for the Italians before being snapped up by the Ospreys.
8. Dries van Schalkwyk
The club's leading try scorer since they joining the Guinness PRO12 with 15, South African born van Schalkwyk has been an instrumental part of Zebre. He is top of the Zebre appearance charts with 65 and this year earned a call-up and made his debut for the Azzurri.
7. Samuela Vunisa
Like Vendretti, Vunisa had seven Zebre Guinness PRO12 tries to his name in his two seasons at the club before moving to Saracens. He has played 11 Italian tests and, while more comfortable at No.8, has to be included in this back row.
6. Filippo Cristiano
Another main-stay of the Zebre scrum throughout the years whether it's starting or coming off the bench. He's been with the club for four seasons.
5. Quintin Geldenhuys
The South African-born second row has played 63 times for his country since 2009 and is never one to let his club side down either. He's made 48 starts since 2012 and while his competitive nature has seen him pick up four yellow cards in that time, he has ruled the skies for the Italian outfit.
4. Marco Bortolami
A cult Italian rugby figure, he played for Aironi before joining Zebre and has over 100 international caps. A powerful and committed second row, he can be relied upon to lead from the front as captain and will lead the team out one final time on Saturday.
3. Guillermo Roan
The Argentine only joined Zebre this season but looks set for a big future at the club, the 27-year-old has previously played for Wasps and has seven caps for his country.
2. Andrea Manici
Approaching 50 appearances for the club, Manici has scored three tries for Zebre since signing in 2012 including side-stepping two defenders in a barn-storming 20m finish against Munster in 2013.
1. Andrea de Marchi
The second most capped player for Zebre in the Guinness PRO12 with 57 appearances at loosehead prop. The stalwart has been with the club since its inception in 2012.
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